Hennepin Avenue Bicycle Planning

Project Limits:

Lyndale Avenue to Central Avenue

Project Type:

The Hennepin Avenue Bicycle Planning project will study the corridor to improve conditions for bicyclists. Design alternatives will be prepared and a recommendation for a preferred alternative will be made.

Project Start Date:

Length of Program:

Project Manager:

Project Updates:

August 27, 2009

A draft final report for the Hennepin Avenue Bicycle Planning project is awaiting project manager approval. In the meantime the layout created between 1st and 12th Streets Downtown has been used in the implementation of the 2-way conversion of Hennepin Avenue. Additionally, the layout created between 1st Street Downtown and Central Avenue is being used to spend $100,000 in City funds available for the addition of bike lanes from Downtown into Northeast. Additional funding sought for completion of the Northeast link as well as bike lanes on Hennepin Avenue between 12th Street and Loring Park was not received in the latest round of NTP funding.

April 30, 2009

Preliminary conceptual layouts for extensions of the Hennepin Avenue bike lanes (Lyndale to 12th, 2nd Street to Central Avenue) are circulating internally and with the County. A draft final report for the Hennepin Avenue Bicycle Planning project is nearing completion. This will include recommendations for bicycle way finding and bike racks. Anticipated completion is June 2009.

January 9, 2009

The City Council has approved layouts for the Hennepin/1st Avenue corridor, between 2nd and 11th Streets. On Hennepin the approved layout contains a center left turn lane, 1 lane of vehicle traffic in each direction, and a combined bus, bike, right turn lane in each direction. On 1st Avenue the configuration in each direction contains 1 lane of vehicle traffic, one parking lane (with peak hour restrictions), and a curb running bike lane. The bike lanes will be colored red to discourage cars from parking in these areas. Several bike boxes will be included where left-turning bike movements are high. The remainder of the Hennepin sub-project work has begun. The feasibility of bike lanes between 11th Street and Loring Park, as well as between 2nd Street and 8th Street NE is being studied.

October 29, 2009

Work on the Hennepin Avenue sub-project is well underway. The plans were reviewed by the public at 2 meetings in October. Several block meetings have also been held with property owners. The layouts currently include the options of having the bike lanes on the curbs, in the middle of the general traffic lanes, or split between Hennepin and 1st Avenues (on the curbs). Restricted left turns, bicycle signals, and bicycle boxes are being considered. Final layouts will be recommended at a public meeting in December, with Council approval scheduled for January of 2009.